No Damsel in Distress
by CTI-Jenn
Summary: When Jules returns to work from her maternity leave, Sam is at home taking care of Sadie. He faces his biggest challenge yet: bedtime for his infant daughter.


Author's Notes: The idea for this story came from a statement I suddenly remembered seeing that one of the writers for Flashpoint made about Jules getting to be the hero. It wouldn't leave me alone until I ran with it. This story takes place approximately four months after the very end of Keep the Peace Part II. I hope you enjoy. I look forward to seeing what you think.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

No Damsel in Distress

Three hours forty-seven minutes. Jules was supposed to have gotten off shift three hours and forty-seven minutes ago. Despite the fact that she was hours late, Sam wasn't worried about her; he knew Team One had responded to a hot call just before shift was supposed to end that was running long. It wasn't the first time one or both of them had pulled overtime for that reason, nor would it be the last time. He was pretty sure that Jules was probably more upset about being late than he could ever be. Today was her first day back from her maternity leave. As much as she loved her job and had wanted to return, Sam knew leaving Sadie today had been difficult for Jules.

Two hours. Sadie's normal bedtime was supposed to have been two hours ago. Normally, it only took Jules twenty minutes at most to get their ten-month-old daughter to surrender to sleep, and only that long mostly because she enjoyed watching Sadie sleep and was always reluctant to actually put her in the crib after the baby was sound asleep. His beautiful wife made it look so easy. Many a night he'd stood in the doorway of the nursery, just watching as she rocked Sadie in the glider rocker. He could watch his girls for hours on end without getting tired. Tonight, however, with her normal routine disrupted, Sadie refused to give in to sleep.

One hour twenty-two minutes. Sadie's sweet little face, which always seemed to greet him with a wide grin that now showed off four teeth, had reddened exactly an hour and twenty minutes ago. Her lower lip had poked out and quivered and fat tears had started spilling down her chubby little cheeks. Sam had tried everything he could think of to console his daughter but so far nothing had worked.

He felt helpless for the first time since Sadie had been born. He knew his daughter loved him. Not even ninety minutes of straight tears could make him doubt that. Normally she acted like he was her most favorite person in the whole world. When he would come home from the end of a long shift or when Jules would stop by headquarters with her for a quick visit, Sadie's face would light up like she hadn't seen him for days. It never failed to make his heart swell with love and pride. This was his daughter looking at him like he had hung the moon and she was still too little to really understand that concept. It made him long for the day she was old enough to really believe he could move heaven and earth just because she asked; it also made him fear the day she was old enough to learn that he couldn't. Especially if her reaction was anything like tonight's reaction to his attempts to appease her. He was useless to do anything to please her.

That wasn't exactly true. All day long she'd been in his care while Jules returned to work. All day long she had graced him with her signature grin that was such a combination of both him and Jules. She'd babbled at him like she was telling him all her secrets and she'd even tried to share her Cheerios with him, something she never offered to anyone. The only way the day could have been any better would have been if Jules had been there to share it with them. He'd loved his daughter from the moment Jules had walked through the coffee shop door and told him that she was indeed pregnant. That love had only strengthened as her stomach swelled with the life growing within her. The day Sadie had been born was the happiest day of his life, tied only with the morning he'd married Jules. Now that Sadie was older and developing a personality, he loved spending time with her more than ever. Every day seemed to bring something new and he cherished every moment he had with her. Which was probably one of the reasons her extended crying was bothering him so much now.

"Come on Scrappy. I know you want your mommy right now more than you want your daddy, but I'm not that bad at this, am I? It's okay; you're okay; we're okay. I know you're sleepy and that makes you a little cranky. Just close your eyes and give in to the sleepies and it'll all be okay. I promise. Besides, if Mommy comes in and sees you crying like it's the end of the world, she's going to question whether or not I'm capable of taking care of you. That's not what you want, is it?"

If anything there was an escalation of tears instead of a lessening. Sam felt like crying as well. Her tears never failed to get to him. Had from the moment she'd been born and she'd let out that first cry. Even though it was the most blessed sound he'd ever heard because it signified that she was really there and really his, he'd wanted to shove the doctor who delivered her up against the wall and give him a piece of his mind for making her cry. Standing in the middle of the dimly lit nursery, he jiggled her in his arms in the same manner he'd watched Jules do at least a million times in the last ten months. It didn't work and he began to wonder if it was some sort of skill that only Jules seemed to have.

His cell phone rang and he answered it quickly, not wanting the ring tone to add to Sadie's distress. He was pretty sure his hello was way more terse than usual but hoped whomever was on the other end would forgive him.

"_Sam? It's Winnie. Wow, is that Sadie I hear in the background? I don't think I've ever heard her cry before. Is everything okay?"_

Winnie's implication that Sadie never cried was an exaggeration but not by much. Normally Sadie was a happy baby; even when she did cry, she was usually easy to pacify. Sam wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder so he could more easily bounce Sadie in his arms while he talked. "Yeah, she's just overtired and missing Jules. What about there? Everything okay? You aren't calling because something's gone wrong with the call Jules is on are you?" He could feel his heart rate quicken at the thought of Jules being hurt. On a logical level, he knew if something had really happened, he wouldn't get the news via a phone call but it didn't stem his worry. One of the hardest things about transferring to Team 3, even if it meant a promotion for him, was that he wouldn't be on scene with her if something happened. Sadie's cries intensified as if she picked up on his sudden worry.

"_Jules is fine. The call is at a stand still though. Jules is doing everything she can to avoid calling Scorpio but the subject is refusing to stand down. Spike suggested that I call you and check in. He said she's doing a great job of hiding it but that he knows she's worried about running late."_

Sam frowned. Though he was relieved to know that Jules was okay, the last thing Jules needed to worry about when negotiating a hot call was what was going on at home. He couldn't blame her though. His first days back at work after Sadie had been born, sometimes now even though ten months had passed, he'd found himself spending almost every moment he could wondering what was going on at home and what he was missing. "Can you get him to let her know everything is fine? And could you possibly not mention hearing the tears? No need to worry Jules."

"Sadie's tears or yours?" Winnie quipped. Apparently she'd picked up on his distress even over the sound of Sadie crying. "Don't worry. I won't say a word. My report will be that all is fine in the Braddock house and that Sam and Sadie send Mommy their love. Seriously, though, you need help over there? I'm not volunteering, mind you; when babies cry that's my cue to hand them back but I could call Sophie for you. I'm sure she has a trick or two that might work."

He knew Winnie meant well, but he couldn't help but feel a little irked that the dispatcher was insinuating that he couldn't take care of his own daughter without help. _Sadie has been crying non stop for over ninety minutes now, maybe Winnie is right._ "No, it's okay. She'll settle down soon. Her routine is just off, that's all."

"_If you're sure."_ Winnie's tone clearly said she wasn't as sure as he was. As Sam ended the call and looked down at Sadie, he realized that he couldn't really blame Winnie for not being convinced by his words.

He shifted Sadie up to his shoulder, hoping a change in position, one that didn't scream that it was time for sleep, would improve her disposition. He rubbed her small back trying to calm her down. He knew she liked having her back rubbed; she was enough like Jules in that aspect.

"Come on Sadie; you don't really want to carry on like this, do you?" Sam pleaded with her. Apparently her answer was yes, because her cries didn't quiet any. Again, he tried to push down his growing sense of frustration and failure. It wasn't Sadie's fault that he didn't know what to do. Bedtime was Jules's forte, had been from the day they brought Sadie home from the hospital. In the early months, it had been because she was nursing and she'd feed Sadie just before putting her to bed. Even after she weaned Sadie from her breast and switched to bottle feeding, putting Sadie to bed was something Jules looked forward to and Sam had seen no reason to disrupt that mother-daughter bonding time. He had his own special times with Sadie and knew how precious those times were. He'd put her down for naps before plenty of times so he hadn't seen where tonight would be a problem, especially since Jules was supposed to be off before bedtime.

"I know, Sadie, Mommy has this down to a science and I'm bungling things, huh? She usually sings you these amazing lullabies but you really don't want me to try that. Trust your daddy on that one. Mommy has the voice of an angel and I unfortunately have the voice of a bullfrog. Seriously, people would probably pay money to hear her sing while they'd pay even more to get me to stop. Maybe I should record Mommy singing your favorites to play for you when she's not here. Why didn't I think of that before?"

The pitiful expression on Sadie's face said she was wondering the same thing. Sam sighed as he paced the nursery with Sadie against his chest. His shirt where her head was resting felt completely soaked from her tears. "Okay, how about a story instead? Maybe that could be our thing, you know? Want me to tell you a story?"

The only problem was, Sam couldn't remember any stories that his mom might have told him as a small child and he didn't really think fumbling through the picture books that were stacked on the bottom shelf of her little bookshelf was a good idea. He was almost pretty sure the SRU training manual wouldn't be appropriate material for his infant daughter. He took a deep breath. "Okay, once upon a time…" Wasn't that how stories were supposed to start? But did he really want to start his daughter out on the kinds of stories that portrayed women as helpless victims that had to wait for the handsome prince to come rescue them? It seemed wrong given who her mother was. He continued, his voice hesitant as he planned out what he was going to say. "Once upon a time, there was a king and queen that lived in a beautiful kingdom. They had a son, um Prince Samuel. He was a pretty good kid but he didn't really want to take over for his father when he grew up. He wanted to do what he considered to be greater things. He spent most of his days hanging out with the Royal Guard because he liked what they could do. Usually to make a spot on the Guard, you had to prove yourself to be both strong and loyal, two traits that Prince Samuel thought he had."

Was it his imagination or were Sadie's sobs quieting as she seemed to actually be listening if not to his actual words but to the cadence of his voice? He shifted her position so he could watch her face as he continued the story. Her watery blue eyes stared up at him.

"Prince Samuel was pretty sure no matter how strong and loyal he proved to be though, the king would never allow him to join the Royal Guard. It made the Prince pretty sad and he wondered if he should leave the kingdom completely in order to find his place in the world. With a heavy heart, Prince Samuel packed his bag and left. The King and especially the Queen were sad that their son had left. Prince Samuel walked and walked for days, and he was tired but determined. Then a dangerous dragon who tormented the area saw the prince and captured him. He carried Prince Samuel to his cave and hid him deep inside."

Sadie's snuffled; no longer outright crying but determined to make it known she wasn't completely over being upset. The sound was just as heartbreaking to Sam as her sobs had been. He sat down in the glider rocker and wiped her lingering tears away with his thumb.

"News of the Prince's capture quickly reached the King and Queen. No one had been able to rescue anyone the dragon had captured and many a guard had lost his life in the attempt. The Queen was inconsolable and blamed the King. She said if he'd had only listened to what Prince Samuel had wanted, this wouldn't have happened. The King felt bad and realized he'd been too hard on his son. He pleaded with the Royal Guard to do something to save the prince. It wasn't that the members of the guard didn't want to help; they all liked the prince and considered him a friend. Still, they knew a rescue attempt was useless and would only result in failure and worse. The Prince's chances for rescue seemed hopeless. Then, from the back of the hall, a young boy stood up. He was small and didn't look like he even belonged in the guard. He volunteered for the mission and went so far as to promise to bring the Prince back."

Sadie rubbed her face against Sam's shirt and he knew it wouldn't be long before she was asleep. He brushed his lips against the top of her head. He wondered if she would ever realize the power she had over him. He was in trouble if she ever did.

"The King looked at the young boy who had made the offer. He was grateful that someone was willing to help but his heart was heavy. There was no way this child would be successful in defeating the dragon and rescuing Prince Samuel. He looked to the rest of the guard, expecting that someone would either talk the boy out of volunteering or volunteer in his place. No offers to take his place were forthcoming but several tried to talk sense into him. 'It's useless,' they told him. 'You can't do it.' But the boy wouldn't listen. It might be useless and he might fail but he had to make the attempt because that's what they did."

Sadie's eyes started to droop but still wouldn't close completely. It was as if she wanted to hear the rest of the story. Sam smiled down at her as he continued. "What the King and Queen didn't know, what most of the guard save for a few of the upper elite didn't know, was that this brave lad wasn't even a boy. This was Julianna, the brave daughter of a former guard who had given his life fighting this very same dragon. She had wanted to follow in her father's footsteps but knew girls weren't allowed in the guard. So she pretended to be a boy so she could fight alongside the other guardsmen. She had met Prince Samuel when he'd visit the guard and knew that, like her, he'd wanted something the world said he couldn't have at the time. She couldn't stand by and do nothing as the creature that had taken her father from her threatened the life of a friend as well. So despite the pleas to rethink her plan, she packed her supplies and set out."

The ten-month-old's eyes closed in sleep but Sam didn't stop his rocking or his story, wanting to make sure Sadie was fully asleep before he made any more. "Julianna knew where the dragon had taken Prince Samuel. She'd watched the dragon's lair from afar many times as she tried to figure out a way to get justice for her father's death. She arrived at the mouth of the cave just before the sun was due to set. She knew from experience that the dragon liked to hunt at night and that the cover of darkness would give her the best chance of rescuing Prince Samuel, but she also knew that the dragon was in and out of the lair all the time and she didn't have the luxury of time. She waited until she saw the dragon leave and then quietly made her way into the cave. It was really dark but she didn't dare light a torch, afraid that the light would attract the dragon's attention and make him return much too soon. She let her eyes adjust to the dark and made her way toward the center of the lair. Prince Samuel was lying on a bed of stolen gold coins, either asleep or unconscious, she wasn't sure which. She knelt beside him but he didn't move. She knew she had to get him out before the dragon returned. Even though he was much bigger than she was and weighed a lot more, she carefully lifted him over her shoulder and started the return trip out. She might have made it if the dragon hadn't decided to return at that moment. The creature could see perfectly in the low light and he saw that someone had dared tried to remove his newest prize. He was furious and wasn't going to let either Julianna or Prince Samuel leave."

His eyes never left his daughter's sleeping face but his mind was now on the story that he was making up as he went along. "Julianna knew the situation was hopeless but she wouldn't give up without a fight. She gently lowered Prince Samuel to the ground and removed her sword. She'd fight the dragon to the death if she had to. It wasn't a fair fight at all. The dragon was twenty times bigger than the brave Julianna but what she lacked in size, she made up for in determination. The battle was fierce and the dragon got in several good blows blows that should have knocked her out a thousand times over. Julianna pushed aside the darkness and pain that threatened to consume her. If she lost consciousness, she and Prince Samuel wouldn't survive. Her strength was just about gone but she made one last jab with her sword and fortune smiled on her. It struck the dragon's one vulnerable spot and the dragon collapsed to the ground dead. This should have been great news for both Julianna and Prince Samuel but the dragon was blocking the way. Julianna picked the prince back up and had to climb with her burden over the dragon to escape. Once she was out of the cave, she set Prince Samuel on the ground to check him out. Just then Samuel opened his eyes and stared up into the brown eyes of his rescuer. Her long brown hair that she usually hid beneath a cap had fallen loose during her fight and there was no mistaking that she was a female. He smiled up at her, falling in love with her at once."

"You really ready for Sadie to know about guys falling in love at first sight?" Jules stepped up beside him and kissed his forehead.

He smiled at her, unsure when she'd come home but glad to have her there. "She's already asleep and probably didn't understand a word I said anyway. Everything go okay with the call?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I think he finally got tired of hearing me talk and gave up peacefully. Nobody got hurt. All is good. She just get to sleep or have you been sitting here for the last couple of hours watching her?" There was no accusation in her tone; she'd been known to sit there and do just that when she was home alone with Sadie and Sam was at work.

"She fought it pretty hard for awhile. I think she finally got tired of hearing me talk and gave up peacefully." Sam parroted back. He gave Jules a careful glance. "Why are you still in your uniform?"

She shrugged. "Ed dropped me off on our way back to the station. I think he realized I was a little anxious to get home; said we could do the debrief tomorrow and that there was no reason I had to go all the way back to the Barn to change. Seeing as I really did want to be here more than I wanted to leave my uniform and stuff at work, I didn't argue." She nodded toward Sadie, her expression longing. "Can I?"

Sam stood and transferred Sadie into Jules's waiting arms. He was slightly surprised it had taken her as long as it did to want to hold her. For a moment it was like he wasn't there as Jules drank in every inch of their daughter. He didn't take offense and knew the careful scrutiny had nothing to do with her not trusting him to take care of Sadie in her absence. On the contrary, he understood all too well the need to make sure she hadn't changed in the hours of being separated. Some days when he got home from work, the only thing he wanted or needed was to hold Sadie and stare at her perfect little rosebud mouth and delicate, unblemished skin. If the day had been especially rough, he felt like he needed to feed off her innocence before relinquishing Sadie to her bed and turning to Jules to feed off his wife's strength.

After a few minutes, Jules was able to tear her eyes off her daughter to look at Sam. Her eyes were bright and just a shade watery, not quite as watery as Sadie's had been but not by much. "I knew today would be hard but I didn't know just how much I would miss her. I picked up the phone at least a hundred times to call you and check on her. I knew she was fine and I trusted you to take care of her but it was like I needed to know for sure I was doing the right thing going back to work."

Sam wrapped his arms around her, Sadie safely cradled between them. When Jules had first weaned Sadie from the breast at four months, she'd contemplated returning early from her maternity leave. Team One was horribly shorthanded with Sarge on medical leave from his injuries received at the hands of Marcus Faber, Jules on maternity leave, and Sam being made team leader for Team Three. She'd felt guilty but just wasn't ready to start leaving Sadie. Sam had left the decision to her, knowing it was one only she could make. After talking first to Ed and then getting advice from Sarge, she'd decided to continue her maternity leave for a few more months. She'd needed the time with Sadie more than Team One had needed her. He didn't think she ever really considered not returning at all. "You never made those calls though."

She shook her head. "No, I talked myself out of it each time. I love my job; you know that. I make a difference and I save lives. I can't imagine not wearing the cool pants. At the same time, I felt like I was letting Sadie down by not being there for her. Am I doing the right thing, Sam? What if I can't be a cop and a mom?"

Sam caressed her cheek. This wasn't the first time she'd voiced such fears. From the day she had the pregnancy confirmed, she'd worried about balancing the two aspects of her life. "Jules, you are an exceptional cop. You are on Team One because you deserve to be there. Nothing, not even being off for a year can change that. You are also the most amazing mother any kid could ask for. Sadie's so lucky to have you. It's not like you have to choose one over the other. You can do both and no one's going to think less of you. You don't think I'm a bad father because I pull my shifts, do you?"

"Of course not." Jules was quick to assure him. Then she looked up at him, staring into his eyes and realizing what he was telling her. She nodded, letting him know she understood and got it. Then she sighed. "Tell me it gets easier."

Sam kissed her. "It gets easier. You aren't abandoning Sadie because you've gone back to work. Most days she'll either have one or both of us taking care of her and when we both have duty, we've already got things worked out with Shelly to keep her. Sadie's going to grow up knowing both her parents are making the world, or at least Toronto, a better place. Doesn't mean you aren't going to miss her though. The guys on my team wanted me to go for drinks after shift a few weeks ago and I turned them down without a second thought. I wanted to get home to my girls. Nothing else seemed more important."

They stood that way for several minutes before Jules pulled away. She kissed Sadie and then almost reluctantly laid her on her back in the crib. She brushed her fingers against the baby's soft skin. "I don't want to miss anything."

Sam gently gripped her upper arms and kissed the top of her head. "You won't. Remember, we promised each other that none of her firsts count unless we both witness it. You might not be with her every second but it'll make the time you do get to spend with her even sweeter. Trust me; I've had a little more time away from her than you have."

Jules nodded, sniffling slightly. His wife's tears bothered him even more than Sadie's had. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and she almost seemed to melt against him. "I know. It's just be a long day, you know? I think I would have been completely okay with being back at work if the shift hadn't run late. I wanted to be here with the two of you but I couldn't even think about it because lives were on the line."

"And you did it. You protected lives and kept the peace. Now, you are home with the two people who love you the most. If you want to stand here for a little while and just watch her sleep, do it. It's not going to hurt anything."

"Maybe for a little bit." Jules agreed with him. She tore her gaze off Sadie long enough to glance up at Sam. "I didn't even ask about your day. Everything go okay?"

He nodded; Sadie's sobs completely forgotten. "Only way it could have been better would have been if you had been here. Are you hungry? I could fix you something to eat."

She shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm actually too tired to eat anything. I'd forgotten how long a shift could feel even without unexpected overtime. All I really want is a long bath and then bed."

Sam kissed the side of her head. "Then, I'll run your bath for you. Nice and hot, just like you like it, and I'll even put in those good smelling bath salts you like so much. You get your feel of watching our sleeping beauty and it'll be waiting for you. I bet I can even be convinced to wash your back for you."

Jules reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him down so that his forehead was against hers. "Then maybe we can curl up in bed together? I for one would love to know what happened to Prince Samuel and Julianna."

Sam's ears turned pink at the reminder that Jules had caught at least some of his bedtime story. He kissed her again, this time brushing his lips against hers. "That's easy. They both took their place in the Royal Guard without having to pretend or hide anything. Prince Samuel was patient until Julianna realized she loved him as well. Then they got married, had the most perfect and beautiful baby girl ever to be born, and then they all lived happily ever after."

A shiver of desire ran down Jules's spine. "I like the sound of that."

Sam continued to kiss her between his next words. "I like the reality of it so much more."

"Copy that."


End file.
